For the last 10 weeks, 14 girls have been transformed into women.

Project CLASS (Creating Leaders and Shaping Sisters) was designed similarly to VH1’s show, “Charm School,” featuring workshops and team-building activities to make eager participants more productive.

It was hosted by the Office of Diversity Programs and offered a $1,000 prize to the student who showed the most improvement during the course of the program.

Last semester, ODP hosted “The Come Up,” a similar program for men.

“During ‘The Come Up’ the guys suggested that we do something for the girls, but we had already decided that we wanted the women to have a chance to do something like this,” said Vee Smith, assistant director of student development in ODP.

During the 10 weeks, speakers presented topics such as etiquette, professionalism and education.

“In order to help people, you have to make yourself equal to everyone else in your eyes,” said Karl Laves, assistant director of the Counseling and Testing Center.

Laves’ session topic was the importance of understanding that people communicate in different ways.

There were different speakers for nearly every session, and Smith taught a sessions herself.

“I’m really particular about who I put in front of the girls,” Smith said. “So they’re either highly recommended, or I’ve gone to them personally.”

Louisville sophomore Cheryl Williamson said the lessons she learned will stay with her forever.

“A year ago I was expelled from school for fighting,” Williamson said. “Now if that situation was to occur again, I’d be a bigger person and walk away.”

Williamson is scoring higher on class tests, and she said Project CLASS helped with that because she learned time management and organization.

The women in Project CLASS said it was important that they chose to be there, instead of ODP making the decision for them.

“Last semester, we had a meeting to see who would want to participate and the girls came — we didn’t turn anyone away,” said Smith, who said she prides herself on being a mother away from home to her students.

Growth doesn’t always take a lifetime, and the participants said that has become clear to them.

“Project CLASS has made a major impact on my life,” Williamson said.